Jackson Jambalaya

Cue the education establishment crowd in 3... 2... 1...

Who will transport them across district lines in the delta? Bennie Thompson gonna come thru finally? 95% of them ride the bus. There is no obligation of the state or district to transport them.

What about the teachers in our communities who need these jobs? What about all of the local people who will be affected? What happens to our schools when the best and brightest students leave?
This wasn't a problem until the Delta started getting African American superintendents. Now all of a sudden we need to cut administration. They spend their money in our communities. Tate Reeves needs to think about the children.

Who better than walmart to fix the schools?

Good news! This isn't a panacea, but it will make a difference in the lives of thousands of children over time.

Bennie Thompson gonna come thru finally?

Has he ever?

What happens to our schools when the best and brightest students leave?

What happens when the best and brightest are forced to stay in an environment of total abject failure? Answer THAT.

They aren't the "best and brightest". They are chosen by lottery and this is another example of the apologists for the status quo....which is not working.

ah the delta. just like ward 3, a 'drag' on mississippi's statistics. poverty, teen pregnancy, and drugs. 80% of the delta.

@ 3:49

Those jobs are open to any teacher who wishes to apply. As a public school teacher, I am thrilled to see the expansion of charter schools in our state. The perpetually broken public school system needs competition, and students in bad districts need some option to help them succeed.

All of those who are a part of the education establishment who cry "the sky is falling" are just looking out for their own interests. They don't really care about the students.

@3:49 - the education programs of the state of mississippi are not designed for the benefit of the teachers whose jobs are involved. They are created, funded and run for the benefit of the students. Your questions are one of the major reasons for the problems - thinking that the reason for the schools is to keep the teachers and the administrators in a job.'

As to what happens when the "best and brightest" leave, these charter schools are open to anyone - not the 'best and brightest. But if a kid and his/her parents want to give them a fighting chance by getting them out of a failing school into a different environment and that causes problems for the failing school - then so be it. Let's close down that failing school and establish something that works - with the definition of 'works' being educating our children; not providing jobs for teachers and the community.

Can't wait until we have a full blown voucher system and the segregation academies squirm when blacks start wanting in.

Bennie Thompson doesn't want charter schools or better public schools in his district. As long as he can "keep da man down", he will keep being re-elected. The worse the delta gets, the higher his votes are.

Scam.

9:04

Thats why they make "boarding schools."

Whether they are in the Delta, Jackson, or New Orleans, charter schools have the same formula for success that the public schools have. The parents who care enough to seek out opportunity and support their children in an effort to get a better education, generally produce the better students. If you get the better students you have a better school. If charter schools had to take the others whose parents have given up or don't give a damn, they would be no better than any other public school, maybe not as good. Just ask any good public school teacher (some do exist) how good their school could be if they didn't have to waste time with the children of uncaring, unsupportive parents. Some are actually doing a better job than you think!

Sorry MEA member at 9:38. While it is true that the students that have interested and involved parents have a much better opportunity to gain a good education when it is offered - albeit in a charter or in a traditional public - those that don't even have the opportunity for a charter are stuck in the traditional public. If they are lucky enough to have a good one, with good teachers (and yes, they do exist) they do well. The purpose of this option is to give an opportunity to those whose parents care and don't have the good traditional school available (and yes, they exist also.)

Charters don't diminish the good traditional schools - yet the traditional publics diminish ANY other alternative, thinking that they should be the only thing available.

I accept your premise about the good public schools with the good teachers. What is your answer for the terrible traditional public schools with the terrible teachers? Let those poor kids (who have interested and involved parents) sit in the room, suffering with no education being offered, only to save the tradition and not challenge the system?

Glad to see these private school getting the state pension. It is only 60% funded, and we will have to raise taxes to pay for the 40% for all, including these new teachers.

Education only works for those who want it.

11:32 - you just hit the proverbial nail on its proverbial head....That is the bottom line.

11:12; What the hell are you talking about? Public taxes have never been, and never will be, 'raised' to pay for the 'state pension' system.

Can't wait until we have a full blown voucher system and the segregation academies squirm when blacks start wanting in.

Which metro area private schools do you still consider "segregation academies"? Name some names.

9:08 - I was mainly referring to Delta schols, but I'd consider MRA, JA, Prep, ERA all segregation academies. All around 95% white.

9:04, people will finally just leave the State of Mississippi as a place to live when everything that us used to protect their children right to learn is taken away. Just use Jackson an a example and apply it state wide.

9:08 I can't speak for the other schools on your list, but Jackson Prep just hired a Diversity Officer so you can just check them off your list. What's your cutoff number? St. Andrews is 72% white. Do they make your list?

http://msbusiness.com/2016/01/jackson-prep-hires-diversity-officer/

I just hope that, unlike in some other Red states, that when the unbiased evidence comes starts pouring in, the TPs and GOPs will have the courage to find out why charter schools didn't work.
Of course, our legislatures could have done that to start by studying the how charter schools were structured in the states that already had them.
But, that would have required actually reading rather than talking to lobbyists or having leadership tell them that doing anything, no matter how poorly done, was politically expedient.

11:05 pm The rather obvious answer to your justifiable question is for state legislatures to restructure public education and teacher requirements so that the quality of a school isn't dependent on the wealth of its location!

In those states with poor teachers, one thing that can be done is to fast track people who have PhDs and Master's degrees in science or math or foreign languages or music or art identified subject areas to teacher certification. You pick up retirees and stay at home mothers that way.

You can also raise the minimum requirements for teachers.

But, the truth is that even in private schools, you get non-qualified teachers based on who knows whom and how good of a coach they are.

The legislature can also fund structured residential and out patient treatment programs for children with special needs or emotional problems so they aren't holding back or disrupting a classroom.

But, the truth is that even in private schools, you get non-qualified teachers based on who knows whom and how good of a coach they are.

What a nutty comment. What percent of classroom teachers are coaches? Maybe one percent? Maybe less?

Teacher licensing is pretty rigorous. Teacher personnel with a masters level, or higher, degree have spent seven or more years in the process of gaining their credentials.

I'll let YOU go around and gather up a bunch of people with "PhDs and Master's degrees in science or math or foreign languages" and drop them into poorly performing schools. Many of those folks you'll find are already in the classrooms of private, parochial and high-performing schools across the state.

Otherwise, your absurd post is, well, still absurd.

"Glad to see these private school getting the state pension. It is only 60% funded, and we will have to raise taxes to pay for the 40% for all, including these new teachers."

Your post would be relevant if it only contained a smidgen of truth and/or fact. Charter schools are NOT private schools. They are public schools - just a different model.

The pension fund is only partially funded but your 60% is not close.

The pension fund will never be fully funded ; they are not designed with a '100% funding' intent.

Taxes have never been raised in an attempt to raise the funding of the pension fund.

These students came out of other public schools. If you need 'x' teachers for 'y' students, and the number of students stays the same(y) but some go to another location - you still only need 'x' teachers. So the total number of teachers required in the public school system (which includes charters) should remain the same. So the only question is - which teachers are still employed and where they are teaching.

Of course, we all recognize that certain schools systems (i.e. JPS)consider their system to be an employment agency rather than an organization operated to educate children and will probably do nothing to reduce the number of people employed teaching the chilluns. But that is not a problem with the charters, its a problem with the traditional public school systems.

11:28 - Charters are working well in many other states (Red and not). Sure, some have not done as expected - and the great thing is, they can be shut down and taxpayers won't have their hard earned money spent on taxes used to continue operating a bad system. Unlike our public school system is without charters.

Your theory is grounded in the opposite 'lobbyists' that you refer to. Ms Loome and her minions wining and dining the legislators pass around misleading information about charters to protect their own arse. They can find one or two bad systems and say - 'lookie here; see! Charters are bad. We are the only thing. Continue following the yellow brick road.'

For every charter you want to bring up (with specifics) I'll show you ten that have good results. Using unbiased evaluations. You want to take on the challenge, start with your first list and I'll match it with ten for each one you give.